Harpies and Heros
by DeathMeramon
Summary: The School had set up shop in Sunnydale
1. Chapter 1

Title: Harpies and Heros I: Prologue

Rating: FR-15

Crossover: Maximum Ride

Word Count: 304

Disclaimer: It's all- not mine!

Author's Note: This story takes place in a combination of the Adult and Children's versions of MaxRide

_The School has set up a new compound in Sunnydale. Max will stop them._

Max stood behind the local Doublemeat Palace looking at the California map she'd nicked earlier. She dug into her pocket and retrieved a pen. It was amazing what she could find in the dumpster. She held the map in one hand and uncapped the pen with her teeth then spit the cap back into her hand.

She scanned the map for the town again.

_Damned idiots._ She'd warned Itex. But no. Stupid idiots had decided to restart the School. Heck, they'd even asked Mom to come back to work for them. Which was an especially bad idea. Especially when Doctor Martinez had turned around and warned the daughter created by them the first time they'd tried that sort of thing.

And then, even after everything, they'd grabbed the flock.

She went after them.

What did you expect. They were idiots. Telling Mom and grabbing the Flock. It was like they _wanted_ her to come to Sunnydale.

Her thoughts went back to the map. Sunnydale was northeast of Los Angeles. Was Los Angeles the one with the red bridge or was that San Francisco.

It didn't matter, she found it. It was barely a blip on the map but the town was there.

She circled the town with the pen so she could find it easy again.

She fished out the compass Mom had given her and set it and the map on the ground. She oriented the compass with her internal north and placed it on the town she was in.

A quick bit of internal math and she was stuffing the pen and map back into her pack.

Nothing would stop her. They had taken her family. They had captured her, cloned her, killed her little brother. They would pay.

She unfurled her wings and took off.

_Fang, everybody, I'm on my way._


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Harpies and Heros II: Crash Landing

Rating: FR-15

Crossover: Maximum Ride/When the Wind Blows

Word Count:

Disclaimer: The characters, setting and character types are not mine. The plot is. Depending on how much University gouges me for textbooks, that too can change with the proper incentive.

Author's Note: This story takes place in a combination of the Adult and Children's versions of MaxRide

Spike was sulking. Again.

They kissed. He and Buffy kissed. Hadn't that meant anything? And then the stupid memory thing. And why couldn't she just have come back to him after the fight and ...

Bloody hell, he forgot to get the kittens. That was just great, the Sharkie would be expecting him an-

***ftum***

Spike started at the sound. Something hit the roof of his crypt.

He cracked open the door and peered outside. The graveyard was quiet. Seeing nothing, he walked out of the mausoleum.

There was a faint rustling from behind him. He turned towards the sound but was stopped.

He fell down into blackness.

* * *

That was definitely not my best landing. Max had flown all day to get to Sunnydale. Even as the dusk blanketed California she flew.

She had been glad to find, at almost three in the morning, that she had arrived. She angled her wings down and began to descend towards a pale roof.

She was not, however thinking about the fact that her raptor enhanced vision was not exactly the best thing to use at night.

She crashed. Her wing clipped a statue and hurtled her body in strange patterns on top of the grave.

"Ohh," she moaned. That had definitely hurt.

She worked her shoulders and stretched her wings to release the pain and tension.

She paused. Someone was moving inside the building she crashed into. Eww, and what was that smell?

"I hope I didn't wake up some nut," she muttered to herself.

She nimbly leapt up to the apex of the roof right before the door opened. She watched and waited. Just a hint of blond hair appeared in the doorway, the a head, then shoulders, then a whole body.

Who was he and why was he in a mausoleum?

She would find out. She contorted her body into a better position and pounced.

The guy went down like a stone.

She rolled him over. He had bleached hair and sharp chiseled features, kinda like Fang.

Fang... The flock was still captured. She needed to get going.

She turned and with a heaving downstroke, she took flight. She flapped again and again and headed out into the darkness as one of her old secondaries gently floated down to the ground by the man's hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Harpies and Heros III:

Rating: FR-15

Crossover: Maximum Ride/When the Wind Blows

Disclaimer: The characters, setting and character types are not mine. The plot is. Depending on how much University gouges me for textbooks, that too can change with the proper incentive.

Author's Note: This story takes place in a combination of the Adult and Children's versions of MaxRide

Author's Note 2: There has been a slight disagreement about the content of my stories and not wanting to deal with the moderator and headache involved, I have decided to withdraw my stories from this year's FaD. I will still be participating, just not officially. I'll be back next year.

They should have expected it by now. The Scoobies would be quietly talking amongst themselves when Spike would rush in. At least this time he was not wearing a tweed outfit.

"We have a problem." Spike said without preamble. He slammed a long slightly tattered, pale feather on the conference table. "I was attacked last night. For no reason."

"Good for you." Xander said sarcastically. "Too bad they couldn't finish it." The rest of them made no motion to disagree with him.

"Shut up, whelp." Spike pointed at the feather. "Saw feathers like that in France back in the day."

Everyone looked at him waiting for him to continue. "Oh come on! Giant ratty feathers, attacking anything that moves." No one made any attempt to guess what he was talking about. _Stupid Americans_. "Harpies. Nasty little buggers."

Now they understood. Took them long enough.

"So, why are they here?" asked Willow.

"Dunno. Whoever knocked me out wasn't exactly forthcoming."

The group paused for a second, waiting for Giles's suggestion. When no sound was heard, they all gave a collective sigh. Every single one of them had forgotten that the watcher had left for England earlier that day.

"What do we do about them?" asked Dawn. "If they're here attacking everyone, we should get them and slay 'em, but..." She trailed off.

If they're here for another reason, no one wanted to say, then the Scoobies had no reason to do anything.

Max woke from her light sleep in the tree branches. She now knew why the School had set up in Sunnydale.

"Vampires."

Vampires were here. They were probably immortal, ergo, the School. Once again she would have to find a way to stop the Doctors from doing some heinous thing to allow them to live forever. This was just peachy.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Harpies and Heros IV: First Meetings

Rating: FR-15

Crossover: Maximum Ride/When the Wind Blows

Disclaimer: The characters, setting and character types are not mine. The plot is. Depending on how much University gouges me for textbooks, that too can change with the proper incentive.

Author's Note: This story takes place in a combination of the Adult and Children's versions of MaxRide

Buffy was patrolling the newest cemetery in Sunnydale, Richard Wilkins III Memorial. According to Willow, two fledges were supposed to rise that night. It also gave her a good, quiet place to think. The past few weeks after her friends had pulled her out of heaven had been hard, but Dawn had been forcing Buffy out into the world.

Then the stupidness with Spike happened. Now he had said that a harpy of all things was running around. Who the hell was he kidding. She punched a nearby tree in frustration.

Buffy was not expecting something to fall out of the tree and land facedown on the ground.

It looked like a normal enough teen, if you discounted the large wings sprouting from her back. Her blond hair blond hair was chopped short and her cutoff jeans and ragged tee did not help her fashion sense any.

Buffy slowly mad her way towards the girl to investigate. Was this the harpy Spike was talking about.

Buffy did not have anymore time to think about the girl after a sudden kick clipped her side. The harpy rolled up on her feet and prepared to fight.

"Hey, I really don't want to fight you," said Buffy, slightly scared. That kick had hurt. Alot.

"Why not?" asked the girl.

"Because... I don't know."

"Nice knowing you."

The girl launched a frenzy of punches and kicks. Buffy blocked every one of them. That should not have happened. "What are you some sort of new Eraser?"

"Do I look like I'm wearing pink?" Buffy retorted. Not her best, but it would have to do for the moment.

"Don't play with me. I know the School is around here." Another kick, another block. "You can just lead me to the rest of the flock now or I can beat it out of you."

"Umm, how about no." They continued to fight. Punch after punch, Kick after kick.

One punch connected. The harpy went skidding down the row of graves. Buffy watched as one of the fledges, risen during the fight, pounced. Serves her right. Buffy turned towards the other fledge's grave and watched as he began to rise.

The harpy screamed from behind Buffy.

Buffy's protection instinct reminded her that the girl had looked about Dawn's age: young, needing protection. But the harpy was strong enough to deal with the vampire herself. Buffy wouldn't worry about it.

Another scream. Unless the girl had no idea how to deal with the vampire. Crap.

Buffy grabbed the still-rising fledge and hauled it out of it's grave. "Than-" it collapsed into dust.

Buffy sprinted to the harpy and yanked the vampire off of her. a quick staking later and that vampire, too, was dust in the wind.

Buffy hauled up the girl from the ground. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Don't mention it." Buffy looked at the girl again. "You got a name?"

"Yeah. Max"


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Harpies and Heros V: Please God, make them shut up!

Rating: FR-15

Crossover: Maximum Ride/When the Wind Blows

Disclaimer: The characters, setting and character types are not mine. The plot is. Depending on how much University gouges me for textbooks, that too can change with the proper incentive.

Author's Note: This story takes place in a combination of the Adult and Children's versions of MaxRide

Author's Note 2: Sorry about yesterday. It was a travel day so I had no time to write. But to make it up to you, my loyal readers, I give you a super-sized entry. Also, I have trouble integrating the action with dialogue. But I gave a better effort than usual with this chapter. Please let me know if I have succeeded.

Buffy was escorting Max to the Magic Box. Max had wiggled her wings into the back of her jacket to keep them hidden on the walk to the store. Buffy had crinkled her eyebrows at the sight but did not say anything.

After hearing Buffy's attempt at small talk, Max was beginning to wish that she would continue to not say anything. "So, uh, how'd you get the wings, er, if you didn't already have them when you were, like, born or something?"

"Genetic experimentation. A bunch of scientists wanted to live forever." Might as well give the bare bone explanation. Hopefully she would shut up.

"And where do wings come into that?"

"The living forever was so they could survive the end of the world. The wings were so we could as well."

Buffy pushed open the door. "Welcome to the Magic Box." Various poeple were clustered around a small conference table. The only guy was eating. A girl about the same

The conversation that had been going on inside stopped almost imeadiatly. "everyone, this is Max," Buffy announced. "Spike's harpy."

"Question," said Xander, raising his hand like he was still in school. "Don't harpies have, you know, wings?"

Max shed her jacket. and shook out her wings, then spread them to their full 12 foot wingspan. "Just so you know, I'm not a harpy." Yeah, they probably would not beleive her, but she had to try and make them see it.

"Why do you say that?" Willow asked.

"Harpies are supernatural. I am all natural." If it was some stupid tv show, there would be definite cricket chirps. they had no understanding whatsoever. Max went with the dumbass version. "I was human. I was part of a genetic experiment. I now have wings. No supernatural items were involved in the making of this person. Do you understand?"

More blank looks. "B-but you have wings!" They still didn't understand.

One the blond ones, Max thought she was Anya, piped up from the back. "Look at her hands."

"What do those have to do with anything?" asked Dawn.

"Look at them. Are they the same as a normal human person's?" Anya was quite insistent.

"Yeah, why?"

"Now look at mine."

"They look the same." Most of the other people in the room were glancing back and forth between Anya's and Max's hands now.

"No they don't. Even now, my fingers are long and more pointy. Her's look perfectly normal. It's a creature thing." Now that Anya had pointed it out, the hand shape did make sense. Flashing through Max's head were various Eraser claws barely missing her flesh.

"Uh, thanks."

"Why are you here? Oh, and would you like to buy anything?" Anya had reverted into a perky salesperson with the fake smile and everything.

"My flock was taken. Buffy said you guys could help get them back. And no, I don't want to by anything."

Willow paused in her typing as something occurred to her. "So, uh, where's your flock supposed to be? You have to know that right."

"No idea. Mom said they were in Sunnydale."

"And is your mom a-" Xander began.

"Xander!" Almost the entire room chorused.

"Angelic type thing." He quickly finished. Nice save, oh Annoying One.

"No, she's a vet."

"Oh."

Quiet. Thank God, they finally shut up!

"I think I may have it." Willow had been typing away at her laptop during most of the conversation."

Max rushed over to look over Willow's shoulder. "Where?"

"There's only three buildings that could be shifted into a genetics lab easily." Willow pointed to three separate points on the online map. "There, there, and there.

"Your flock is probably at one of them."


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Harpies and Heros VI: One of these things is not like the others...

Rating: FR-15

Crossover: Maximum Ride/When the Wind Blows

Disclaimer: The characters, setting and character types are not mine. The plot is. Depending on how much University gouges me for textbooks, that too can change with the proper incentive.

Author's Note: This story takes place in a combination of the Adult and Children's versions of MaxRide

The first warehouse lay in a dark decrepit section of a local industrial park. The peeling paint and boarded up windows only added to the feeling of old and forgotten things.

Max went up to one of the side doors and peered past the two by sixes blocking the doorway. She began pulling them off one by one. "This way," she called to the three others.

Buffy shone one of the flashlights across one corner. The interior was open and dusty."Nothing."

Willow's flashlight swept another corner. "Nope, nothing."

Max turned and accidentally bumped into Spike. She looked at him then blushed slightly. "Uh, sorry about the knocking out thing."

He smirked. "Don't do it again. Seriously."

The empty warehouse held nothing. They went out the second one.

It was by The Bronze. The paint was newly done, the interior swept. And there were three pale bodies next to a stack of saran-wrapped boxes. It was a new recently opened Sunnydale warehouse.

"Do you see anything here?"

"No."

The third one lay way off at the edge of town. It was a single building out in the middle of the scrub with nothing around it.

Buffy glanced around. The place had been recently swept and "Well this looks like the perfect set up for an evil science-y plot thing to happen."

"I don't think this is it." Spike said, sniffing around.

"Why?"

Because it looks like the perfect place for a science-y plot thing to happen. It is way too obvious." Max answered for him. "He's right." She stepped onto a discarded piece of plywood. It cracked and Max let out a great shout as she fell.

Max landed with a hard thump on a metal floor. Metal grates slid across the sides of the chasm and one slammed over the top of Max's head. Max looked up as the pale moonlight from above was shut out.

Buffy, Spike, and Willow rushed around the corner of the warehouse. Nothing was there. Max was gone.

Back underneath the first warehouse, the lead scientist was chuckling to himself. The wing-bitch was trapped now well and good. The project could now go forward without interruption.

Another scientist walked into a dark room. Five dog crates sat on the floor in the middle of the room. Each crate was far enough apart from the others that none of the experiments in the cages could reach the others.

The man flicked on the light. Inside each crate was a single winged kid. The Flock was there.

The eldest, Fang, recognized the man. "Jeb!"

Jeb smiled. His kids were unhurt. He rushed to the first cage, unlocking it. "I've got to get you out of here."

"Is Max coming?" Nudge asked.

"She got caught too." The youngest bird-kid whimpered. "I think she's ok but they won't let me know where they've taken her. Doctor Martinez told her where you were and she was traveling with another group in Sunnydale. There was a couple blonds and a redhead with her. They should be able to help you find her."

"Thank you." Fang streched all six of his limbs as he was released.

"You guys have to get out of here now." Jeb's voice was getting higher and more quavering.

Iggy paused as he was climbing out of his cage. Seconds later, klaxons began to sound and red lights flashed.

"Shit! Go. NOW!"

Gazzy threw one one of the cages at the small window near the ceiling. It shattered and he began clearing the broken glass.

Jeb propped the broken cage against the door handle. "That wont hold them for long."

The five bird-kids climbed out of the small window and took off in flight.

Nudge stopped flapping and began to glide. She looked back only to see Jeb tackled by several security guards. She blinked back tears and turned back into the wind. A few flaps and she had caught back up with the rest of the group.


End file.
